Spiney Lobster

Lobster has opened and the bugs are plentiful.  Tons of bugs being caught by visitors in the shallow rocks and reefs around Key West. Remember limit is six per person per day, try to respect the resource and do not take more then the limit

Many of local charter boats are setup to take visitors lobstering, ask around and you can mostly likely find a boat to charter if you have none of your own. Most captains worth their salt should be able to put you on some lobsters in 5-10 feet of water.

The season opened August 6th and will be open until March.

Mangove Spawn

Well the mangrove snapper spawn is on and judging by the crowds of boats in some areas, it looks pretty productive. Mangrove or Grey Snapper spawn in the summer on the reef south of Key West. These fish swim out from the gulf and inshore waters and stack up on the edge of the reef in certain areas. They tend to congregate in 50-80 feet of water.

If you dive in these areas you will see walls of mangrove snapper on the bottom basically paving the bottom.  This fast fishing as soon as bait hits the bottom the fish will be on on it. Most of the challenge involves getting the larger snapper to eat before the little ones get the bait. Bait of choice for this is usually pinfish, medium sized. You will be surprised at how large a pinfish a nice size grey snapper will crunch up. The best bite tends to be in the evening and night.

Cobia in Season

There are so many cobia stacked up on some of the gulf wrecks the water looks brown when you pull up to them. We had a great day catching cobia last week, with some jacks and fishing.org/?p=86″title=”" >sharks thrown in the mix. Not huge fish but some where over 30# and put up a hell of fight on spinning tackle.

Mixed in the with cobia where a bunch of sharks including some bull sharks which would try to steal any fish you had hooked. A big chunk of dead bait on wire lead quickly to hook up and another whole level of fight. Bull sharks have to be the strongest fighting shark , outside of perhaps mako. If you ever want to stress test your tackle hook up with a good size bull shark because they will give you a run for the money.

Smaller Amberjack 30-40 pounds

The amberjack spawn is on, and captains around the Florida Keys are reporting catching fish over a 100 POUNDS. People are fishing primarily jigs on sea mounts and deep water wrecks but smaller amberjack like these in the photo are being taken on the reef in less the 100 feet of water.

If want to catch a serious fighting fish almost nothing compares to a large amberjack, they will fight all the way to the surface, and often keep fighting out fo the water once they are in the boat.

We were fishing in 3 or 4 feet of water when we hooked a large shark, that deceided to attack the boat rather then run away.

Key West tarpon fishing gets going in March, and stays strong right through August. That’s almost six months of hot tarpon action, for you big game fishing enthusiasts out there! Morning, day or night, Key West tarpon fishing trips go out from all around the island, throwing anchor south, west, north and east of Key West proper. Usually done in flats boats, tarpon fishing can also be done from a huge Key West offshore fishing boat as well. In fact, you’ll see, anchored up just outside of Key West Harbor, offshore boats at night with tarpon clients.

Tarpon run between the Gulf of Mexico and out to the reef, passing through the channels around Key West. Tarpon boats anchor up in the mouths of channels, hoping to hook a tarpon as he swims through while feeding. Tarpon are so big and strong, sometimes they can spin your entire reel out, to the end of your line. Your guide has to be ready to start up the boat and drive toward the tarpon as you reel in, so you don’t get stripped out. To make this sequence easier and faster, your Key West tarpon fishing guide sets up a quick-release anchor. What’s this?

A quick-release anchor allows your guide to anchor the boat securely while also allowing him the ability to free the boat from said anchor, with no fuss and no delay. There’s no fiddling with a stuck anchor and no standing there pulling up rope while the tarpon spools out your line. Your guide simply unclips the line from a large orange ball and away you all go after that big catch you’ve got on the line.

Meanwhile, back at the anchor, while you’re busy reeling in your monster, the orange ball holds the “real” anchor line at the surface so you can find it after you’ve caught and released your tarpon.

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If humongous, fast fish that give lots of fight are what you are after while on vacation, then Key West offshore fishing is just for you. There are plenty of offshore boats docked in Key West whose sole purpose is to take big game sportfishers such as yourself out to the deep water. Out there, they catch monsters known for their strength and speed, like Marlin, tuna, and sailfish. Key West offshore fishing is not for the faint of heart. Between the deep water, the monster fish, and the salty crew, it might be a good idea to leave the first-timers at home, perhaps in the gentle hands of a Key West flats fishing guide in the calmer backcountry waters.

A Key West Offshore Fishing Boat

However, if your newbie friends and relatives are sporty, they may enjoy riding out to the Continental ridge for a day of exciting Key West offshore fishing. After all, the boats are super nice: air-conditioned cabins with comfortable seating for a group. You can escape the hot sun and humid air in summertime and stay dry in winter time. If there are winds above 15 knots, just give everyone a sea-sickness pill and you’ll all set.

The boat captain will haul your offshore party out to the offshore area, which is beyond the coral reef, where the continental shelf drops and the depths hit 2000 feet. Here, the Gulf Stream crosses the shelf and pushes water over the edge, causing tons of nutrients to get pushed up as well. This upwards underwater fountain is a virtual banquet for large billfish. Your offshore boat goes right to the hotspots on the ridge, learned from years of experience fishing in deep water, and hits every spot until you hook something big.

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Bonefish caught in Key West

Your guide is essential if you want to be successful at Key West bone fishing. He or she will first take you to the right spots in the Key West backcountry. Then the engine of the boat will be turned off. Then out comes the pole for pushing the boat, which is now essentially a raft, through the flats in search of bonefish. Once a bonefish is spotted, your flats guide will spring into silent action to get you to make the right moves. He’ll hiss at you to throw your shrimp “right over there” in front of the bonefish’s mouth. Your guide will have been watching the direction, speed, and other behavior of the bonefish, in order to help you put the live shrimp bait in the exact right spot for him to find and chomp down.

If Key West bone fishing sounds exciting, challenging or fascinating to you, or all of the above, check it out. There are dozens of Key West bone fishing guides all over Key West, all of them with their own special personalities and spots for fishing. Key West bone fishing is catch and release, but you can ask your guide to take you to a redfish or snapper spot for catching dinner. You can’t go wrong with this sport, because you always come home with at least a great story and memories of a great day fishing in Key West.

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Amber Jack caught near Key West

Tuna, Marlin, Sailfish, or wahoo, mahi mahi, or closer in with grouper and snapper, all the saltwater fish fight hard and don’t give up easily. The lighter the tackle, the long you’ll have to fight ‘em. It’s a race to see who gets tired first, and hope the fish doesn’t get off somehow. We’re routing for you as you and the fish put up the fight. You might come home with dinner if you target bottom species like grouper, or if you chum for snapper, troll for mahi mahi or wahoo. Or you might come home with just a story of how you finally landed that the big one out there. It’s all possible during a day of Key West saltwater fishing.

Key West saltwater fishing also includes flats fishing, a whole different way of spending time on the water for anglers. Known as a more placid experience, Key West saltwater fishing on the flats involves driving out to the backcountry where the water is deep and the lays low. It’s quieter out here in back of Key West, on the Gulf side where much of the fished the flats lie. Key West saltwater fishing takes on a different style here, as the guide cuts the engine and poles you both along through the calm flat waters of the Key West backcountry.

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Key West Mahi Mahi Fishing

Key West Mahi Mahi fishing has multiple rewards. Not only is it one of the most exciting charter fishing trips you can book for yourself and your friends or family, but it’s also going to result in what some say is the tastiest fish to ever be pulled from the ocean. Key West Mahi Mahi fishing is very popular for two reasons. These fish give a great fight, and they taste delicious too. Mahi Mahi flesh is delicate, light, and almost sweet tasting. Sought after all over the world for the fine taste and texture, Mahi Mahi is available right here in Key West, America’s Caribbean.

A Key West Mahi Mahi fishing trip involved distance and patience. Your charter boat will have to drive offshore, unless the Gulf Stream and hence the mahi mahi, are very close in that day. Mahi mahi, also known as dolphin, sometimes run along giant beds of sargassum, munching on the small fish that take cover in the weeds. To find these vegetation beds, drive beyond the reef, out to sea. Then you troll and troll as your captain searches the waters for schools of mahi mahi. At first, before your first bite, Key West Mahi Mahi fishing can seem slow. It’s feast or famine, guys! Just a little patience, then with some luck or a tip from a fellow captain off another Key West Mahi Mahi fishing boat, you’ll strike gold and hit a school of dolphin.

Hold on, because mahi mahi love to jump! And get another pole and more anglers ready, because once you hit a school, they’ll all want to bite, one after another. Full action!

Remember to keep a few for dinner, you will never forget the scrumptious taste of mahi mahi.

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